Research On Verb-result Construction And Relevant Sentence Patterns Under Ahe Construction Grammar

Modern Chinese verb-result construction and its relevant sentence patterns have been important research subjects, which have long been paid close attention to by the academics. Former studies have started with the description of syntax and semantics of verb-result construction, verb-result construction's arguments selection and coordination modes. Although prior studies have made great contribution, these researches only cover part of the problems. The research on the true nature of verb-result construction has yet to be furthered. Based on the existing researches, this paper studies the Modern Chinese verb-result construction and its relevant sentence patterns based on construction grammar in a more detailed and specific way.This paper consists of seven chapters. The first chapter gives us a brief introduction. The second chapter explains the reasons and motivations of verb-result construction: from “cause and effect” category, image schema to verb-result construction. The third chapter mainly talks about the internal structure of verb-result construction. The fourth chapter is fusion process of arguments of verb-result construction. The fifth chapter is relevant sentence patterns formed by verb-result construction. The sixth chapter is analysis on causer argument. The seventh chapter is conclusion. The details are as follows:Chapter 1: IntroductionAfter giving a brief introduction of former studies and deficiencies of the existing researches, this chapter explains the significance of this topic, research theory and method, research design and corpus source. II Chapter 2: The reasons and motivations of verb-result construction: from “cause and effect” category, image schema to verb-result constructionThis chapter aims to explore the reasons and motivations of verb-result construction. This chapter first demonstrates by questionnaire method that there is express framework of verb-result construction in modern Chinese language. The manifestation of it is verb-result construction, and it is proved to be a construction according to syntacto-semantic features. This chapter then analyses and interprets the motivation of verb-result construction, preparing for further analysis of internal structure of verb-result construction by categorization theory, metaphor theory, event semantics beginning with the analysis of “cause and effect”event, and then summarizing the reasons of formation of the “cause and effect ”category, explaining the elements of “cause and effect” image schema, discussing the sentence patterns of “cause and effect ”category based on which demonstrates that the verb-result pattern is the prototypical member of “cause and effect” sentence patterns.Chapter 3: Internal structure of verb-result constructionThe composition of construction means the verb qualified for being in the construction and relevant arguments of construction. The meaning of construction is integrated by the meanings of each composition. The specific characteristic of verb-result construction lies in two predicate components, namely verb and result complement(a result complement can be a verb or an adjective). This chapter first determines the structure center and meaning center of verb-result construction. This chapter then analyses the primary and secondary sequence of verb and result complement. This chapter also describes lexical meaning of verbs and the limits of the verbs, participants' roles of verb and participants' roles of result complement involved in the verb-result construction. This chapter also describes the relation between verb and verb-result construction and the relation between participants' roles and verb-result construction. This paper also discusses the diversity of the meaning of verb-result construction and the relation between relevant constructions.Chapter 4: Fusion process of verb-result constructionThe arguments of verb-result construction come from participants' roles of the III verb and the result complement and arguments' roles of constructions.This chapter gives a detailed description of the fusion process of participants' roles of the verb and the result complement in fourteen verb-result constructions with the arguments' roles of constructions. And this chapter concludes the characteristics of fusion and attaches great importance to verb-result construction's hidden argument and its fusion process. Moreover, this chapter also demonstrates that the “dirty-washing” type is the prototype meaning in the verb-result construction category, other kinds of meanings of other verb-result constructions derive from prototype meaning being similar to the prototype meaning in the family category.Chapter 5: Relevant sentence patterns formed by verb-result constructionBased on the quantity of arguments of the differerent verb-result constructions in Chapter 4, this chapter re-divides verb-result constructions into three types and summarizes their similarities and characteristics. Moreover, this chapter describes in detail the possibility of different types of verb-result construction to be involved in the formation of verb-copying construction, “ba”-construction and “bei”-construction based on basic sentence construction. Verb-copying construction, “ba”- construction and “bei”- construction in themselves have construction meanings while verb-result construction has its specific meaning. These two constructions finally form a qualified expression in the integration process with mutual compromising, mutual interaction and mutual inspiration. This chapter also describes that suppression is the mechanism of verb-result construction forming verb-copying construction,“ba”-construction and “bei”- construction. The suppression of a certain argument is more prominent in order to meet the requirements of the above sentence patterns. The suppression of “ba”- construction and “bei” – construction to verb-result construction is different from that of the verb-copying construction to verb-result construction.Chapter 6: Analysis on a causer argument of verb-result construction.This chapter describes in detail the nature and function of causer argument of verb-result construction in modern Chinese, the diversity of causer argument's origin, the cognitive motivation of causer argument choice, semantic constraints as well as inverted verb-result construction. Causer argument is a semantic role in cause-effect category and its fundamental role is to improve its significance in the “cause and effect” meaning, strengthen the causative force, facilitate the happening of causative meaning, impel the achievement of resultive meaning and lead to the verb-result construction. The causer arguments come from various sources which could be the participants' roles of verb, participants' roles of principle and secondary arguments of the result complement, activity participants' roles or external participants' roles. The causer arguments are eventfulness. Participants' roles are subject to semantic level constraints. The more conventional, specific and direct constraints are, the more likely they will become qualified causer arguments. The inverted verb-result construction is a variant of the verb-result construction, which is a specific manifestation of the causer arguments' sources diversity. The inverted verb-result construction expresses the meaning not only of cause-effect but also unexpected negative side.Chapter 7: ConclusionThis chapter summarizes all the important arguments, points out the main innovations and the author's thoughts for later research relevant to it.